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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC2011-035 Last Will And Testament Of Ludy Vey Hudley 07/099/201277 ELECTRONICALLY FILED 2012-Jun-13 14:34:08 60PR-12-1108 LAST WILL AND TESTAMM of LUDY VEY HUNDLEY I, Ludy Vey Hundley, currently residing at 909 Cumberland, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, being of lawful age and of sound mind and memory, do hereby make, publish and declare this to be my Los will and Testament, hereby revoking all Wills and Codicils heretofore made by me at any time. FIRST: At the time of this will, I am unmarried and have no children, living or deceased. A SECOND: I he give, devise and bequeath the following real property to A. x .Jiephew, : Lot 1 and the north 1/2 of Lot 2, Block iginal$• I hereby give, devise and f r' bequeath the follo;4 real property to Karan Hearn, my niece, : Lot 3 and the south 1/g- f Lc$100 Block 44, orig' Y. h 191RD: Any .ash, saving accounts, certifi eposits, investments, st cks.d'bon r-_ •r ny other such account pf ny ti {. which I may ow at the time of my death or which I ut havn interest in at time of my death, I hereby give, devise an V. Other Matters The spreadsheet was handed out in the agenda meeting for Certificates of compliance to get the commissioners up to date. There are no new enforcement issues to report to the commission. Chairman Vanlandingham asked Staff to ask other districts how long items can be on the books before they build for both COA and COC. He stated that he was under the impression that the HDC did not have a time limit on those. Mr. Minyard stated that he would ask Patricia Blick, CLG coordinator, to do a statewide poll. He anticipates that Staff will be able to report back in July. It will be reported under the Other Matters. Citizen Communication Page Wilson addressed the commission about having a meeting before the next scheduled monthly meeting. He stated that he knew Commissioner Mark Brown would be absent in July and that Commissioner Randy Ripley would still have to recuse. He asked the commission to reconsider to have a meeting in three weeks. Of the commissioners present today, not all would be able to attend a meeting on July 2nd, therefore he would have the same number of commissioners voting. Debra Weldon stressed that the due process requirement had to be met for a public hearing to be held and that it was not just a technicality. Chairman Vanlandingham said that he was pleased with development in that area, that it was new to the Commission today, and that they were bound to follow the law. It was concluded that the meeting would be on July 9, 2012. There were no other citizens present to speak. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 5:32 p.m. Attest: Chair Date Secretary/Staff Date 10 of 10 Ik bequeath to Joan Parson, Route 1, Box 9C, Dardanelle, Arkansas 72834 and to Brenda Moudy, Rte. 2, Box 952, Dardanelle, Arkansas 72834 to be divided equally between them. FOURTH: The remainder of my estate, whether real or personal, and wherever situated, which I may own at the time of my death, I hereby give, devise and bequeath to A. B. Hundley. FIFTH: I reserve the right, pursuant to A.C.A. Section 28- 25-107, as may be amended from time to time, to change, alter eliminate or add to the disposition of tangible personal property by attaching to or associating with this Will subsequent to its execution a written, dated statement or list signed by me or in my handwriting designating the devisees of items of tangible personal property other than money, evidences of indebtedness, documents of title, securities, or property used in a trade or business. } SIXTH: I hereJxA nominate, constitute and appoint A.B. Hundley as Executor of my estate under this last Will and Testament and request and direct that he be permitted to serve without bond. I4 Should A.B. Hundley be unable or unwilling to serve as Executor, I I hereby nominate, constitute and appoint Jim Hurley, my great- nephew, as alternate. Executor and request and direct that he be permitted to serve without bond. SEVENTH: I hereby authorize my Executor to exercise all the powers, rights, discretions, duties and immunities conferred upon 4W .40 .i- so • � r 2wol � fiduciaries to the extent permitted by law with full power to sell, lease, mortgage, invest, reinvest, or otherwise dispose of the assets of my estate. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, Ludy Vey Hundley, have to this my Last Will and Testament subscribed my name at the end thereof on this�?kth day of August, 1997, in the presence of the attesting witnesses, who at my request witness the same in my presence. - Ludy Vey HunMe I The Woodruff House is one of Little Rock's treasures and needs to be preserved for the future. A strategy needs to be put in place for the property to be sold to a qualified buyer that will restore/renovate the house and make accommodations so that the house will be projected from demolition and incompatible additions and modifications in the future. Strategies include a proper and thorough boarding and securing, fencing, conservation easement, acquisition, and marketing. Strategies are listed in detail at the end of this report. History of William Edward Woodruff and the Woodruff House: The Woodruff House was built ca. 1852 by William E. Woodruff, the founder of the Arkansas Gazette, Arkansas's first newspaper. Woodruff came to Arkansas when the Territory was established in 1819; he published the first issue of the Gazette just three weeks later. When the Arkansas Territorial capital was moved to Little Rock in 1821, Woodruff moved his presses here. As publisher of Arkansas's newspaper, Woodruff was very influential in the politics of Little Rock and Arkansas. As the only r newspaper at the time west of the Mississippi, news of points west filtered .� to Woodruff and then was released to the press back east. News of the Alamo and other events west of Little Rock ' passed through his newspaper. His life ' spanned the territorial days, statehood, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Mr. Woodruff established the first library in Littlerock with a subscription fee of $2.00 per year in 1843. One of his daughters, Mary E. Woodruff Bell owned the Walters Curran Bell House, William E. Woodruff ca. 1860 commonly known as Curran Hall. Woodruff built the house at what is now 1017 East Eighth Street in 1852 on 25 acres and lived there until his death in 1885. At the time, his house was outside the city limits and provided space for his wife and eight children to reside. The house became a entertaining hub of the city with many parties for citizens and visitors who wanted to curry favor with Woodruff. The house later became a school for girls and, finally, was divided into apartments. Since 2005, the house has been vacant. The Woodruff House is one of only a handful of remaining antebellum houses in Little Rock and stands a very good chance of being lost forever. It is a vital piece of Little Rock and Arkansas history and should be preserved for future generations to interpret it's history. 2of11 Ji i �yyY PROOF OF WILL' STATE OF ARKANSAS) COUNTY OF PULASKI) We, the undersigned, on oath state: We are the subscribing witnesses to the above and foregoing written instrument dated the 2�th day of August, 1997, which purports to be the Last Will and Testament of Ludy Vey Hundley. On the execution date of the instrument, the Testatrix signed the instrument at the end thereof in our presence, declared the instrument her Will and requested th2it we attest her execution ; thereof; whereupon, in the presence of` the Testatrix, each of us signed our respective names as attF execution, the Testatrix appeared' and acting without undue influent( -'e"d I/- el fitness Subscribed and sworn toPgbefo 1997. ? My,&cjmmi s ' on Wires Prepared By: Deborah I. Pipkins Attorney at Law 221 W. Second, Suite 530 Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 (501) 371-9819 sashes. Prior to that, thieves stole one historic mantelpiece, all the copper pipes, and several bathroom fixtures. Although the house has been boarded up, vagrants have repeatedly removed the boards to enter the house. Several have also been seen living in the crawl space of the house. Keeping water out of the house is a major step in preserving the house. Where window panes are missing and whole windows are missing, the water getting into the house does nothing but promote rot, mold and deterioration. The house is currently two and one half stories with 7,000 square feet. to Col. N.P. Chipman, Mr. Woodruff describes his house as "...a large and In a letter CONDITION ASSESSMENT REPORT nearly new and well finished two-story Rr�. brick house, 54 by 50 ft. containing 10 WILLIAM E WOODRUFF HOUSE URI large rooms..." The house today has �U ROCK AkRA SASSptl'r�� 2,700 square feet in the first and second floors and the balance in the third floor, (which has been altered since his death to add the shed dormer with multiple windows facing south and additional square footage.) A Condition Assessment Report for the William E. Woodruff House was prepared for the QQA by Witsell Evans Rasco in January 31, 2008. The house is in worse shape since that report was written due to the intrusion of water through broken windows. etlfo. Ou.pax p.A Aa�otl.uun IRbIAPBD BY Ynle0.ue,AR— YAAT,Y OaaP.N Ou.rier A.�otl.Wn The N. WntlnTmtl for Rerr.atlon Copy of Condition Assessment Threats: The biggest two threats to the structure is water and humans, both of which can be remedied easily. A thorough board and secure of all windows and doors on every floor would eliminate water from entering through the busted out windows and help to stop the rotting of timbers and floors. Keeping vagrants out of the building is another concern. Thankfully, we have survived another winter without vagrants getting into the structure and setting fire to it in an effort to keep warm as has happened to numerous properties. An additional concern, that may be a threat or an asset, is the proximity of the property to the largely vacant Lion's World property. The purchaser of these five plus blocks could be an advantage if the house was used as the administration or headquarters of the enterprise. Or, it could just be viewed as a vacant house, and when paired with the majority property owner in that block, is something that has to be removed in order to possess more land and a frontage presence on 9th Street. 4of11 ATTESTATION We, the undersigned, do hereby certify that Ludy Vey Hundley, the Testatrix in the above and foregoing Last Will and Testament, consisting of three (3) sheets of paper, subscribed the same at the end thereof declaring to us that the instrument was her Will, and we, at her request, and in her presence and in the presence of each other, have subscribed the same as attesting witnesses on this,Zk th day of August, 1997. A-dzli' -�h4A NESS A Importance of pre Civil War structures in Little Rock: Little Rock has many historic resources; districts full of historic structures and isolated ones. The Woodruff House is one of those isolated ones. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with the lives of a significant person, William E. Woodruff, and the property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important through archeological digs on the grounds. We have precious few structures in our city from pre -Civil War times. We currently have 13: Ten Mile House (1822), The Old State House (1836), The Absalom Fowler House (1840), Pike -Fletcher -Terry Mansion (1840), US Arsenal building in MacArthur Park (1840), and Curran Hall (1842) to name a few of the more recognized. National Register listing: The Woodruff House is individually listed on the National Register. However, National Register listing is primarily honorific. It provides no protection against inappropriate alteration or even demolition. However, the being on the National Register does make the property eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits, both federal and state, and other financial incentives for redevelopment. State and Federal income tax credits can be combined. The amount of the tax credits could be as much as 45% of the rehab costs. Location: The Woodruff House is located three blocks east of 1-30 sandwiched between the freeway and an industrial area. The neighborhood has seen disinvestment in the past, but is poised to be a downtown neighborhood that is desirable for people that work downtown. A similar revival is f appening in the SOMA district and Pettaway Park neighborhood. The Hanger ill neighborhood could have this turn around. The northern portion of this neighborhood purchased and cleared, for the most part, for a new headquarters for the Lions World Services. That plan has changed and now the land sites vacant. 9, Current conditions: The house is built with three brick thick walls and has a decent roof. The house has increasingly become the target of vandals and vagrants. Since the 2008 Conditions Assessment Report, vandals have broken out most of historic (possibly original) glass panes and window between 6th and 8th street was 3of11